Retiring Guy's Digest: 2019-01-20

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Donald Baldensperger (1932-2019) Warren High School class of 1950

Source: Warren Times Observer

1950 Dragon yearbook

1967 Warren City Directory

Donald and Joyce are listed as living in Tiona in the county section

1982 Warren City Directory

Still living in Tiona with their sons Mike and Jeff

The popularity of Donald as a baby name is graphed here. Let's take a look at Dewey.

Source: Social Security Administration

Dewey spent just one year in the top 100 -- in 1900. After that, he remained in the top 300 for most of the 1st half of the 20th century. Starting in the late 1960s, he made a series of 5 small reversals to hold off the inevitable.

Other members of the WHS class of 1951:
2018
John White. (10/12/2018)
Geraldine Downey Gustafson. (10/7/2018)

2017
Helen Quiggle Kroemer. (7/9/2017)
Dale Witherell. (5/31/2017)
Betty Reynolds Mahan. (4/4/2017)
Helen Kane Scalise. (2/23/2017)

2016
Virgil Bohren. (11/24/2016)
Mark Bevevino. (8/26/2016)
Diedra Peterson Andersen. (6/8/2016)

Marilyn Lyke Bonace. (6/6/2016)
John Tingwell.  (6/5/2016)

2015
Donald Quiggle. (12/19/2015)
Genevieve Larson McKown.  (12/16/2015)
Franklin Reiff.  (7/14/2015)

Mary Ann Font Schafer. (6/29/2015)

Who is Matt Mackowiak and why is he saying these mediocre things about himself?

Photo and bio found at Potomac Strategy Group

Linn County, Iowa's second largest with a estimated 2016 population of 221,661, is located in the east-central part of the state. Cedar Rapids, its largest city and county seat, has a population of 132,228.

The county hasn't voted for a Republican candidate for President since 1984. And Matt wasn't able to close the GOP gap in 2004.

Source: Wikipedia

(Third-party candidates received 22.6% of the vote in 1992)

In the 2018 Iowa gubernatorial race, Democrat Fred Hubbell received 55.5% of the Linn County vote compared to Republican Kim Reynolds' 41.7%. The Democratic candidate for Iowa 1st congressional district, Abby Finkenauer, won by a larger margin over the GOP incumbent Rod Blum, 56.6% to 40.1%.
.
According to Morning Consult, Trump's Iowa approval/disapproval ratings have undergone a net change of -19 percentage points, from 49% approval/40% disapproval in January 2017 to 43% approval/53% disapproval in December 2018.

Matt first came to my attention when reading this article.

Trump signs measure to temporarily reopen government, setting up new battle over border wall. (USA Today, 1/25/2019)

Other Republicans were discouraged that Trump agreed to the deal, and some even accused him of giving in to the Democrats' demands.

"Trump's base will not look kindly on this cave, even if Trump's hand was forced," said Texas-based political consultant Matt Mackowiak. "Democrats were never going to negotiate while the government was closed and they paid no price for doing so."

He added: "The only advantage the Trump White House has is a three-week clock on the negotiation for a broader deal. In the end, many will look at this entire episode as pointless."

Disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State: Dickson City, Pennsylvania

Jet's Pizza on Facebook

Source: Wikipedia

Dickson City's population peaked at 12,395 in 1930. Its 2016 estimated population is 6,070 -- a drop of 6,325 (51%).

The Borough of Dickson City is located in Lackawanna County, 4 miles north of Scranton.

Related reading:

The decline of hard coal. (The Citizens' Voice, 4/14/2016)

Kulesa and Petrillo will deliver a multi media presentation about the Knox Mine disaster, its aftermath and far-reaching impact, and film footage from 1966 of a deep coal mine in Wanamie in Newport Township. The Wanamie mine is also of historical significance, Petrillo said, because it featured the last narrow-gauge railroad used in an industrial operation in Pennsylvania. Petrillo said deep-mining in Lackawanna County ended in Dickson City in 1970.

Abandonded Dickson City Walmart Coming Down. (WNEP, 11/16/2016)

It's a tear-down 20 years in the making. A popular plaza in Dickson City has been haunted by an old ghost of a former big box store.

Changes Coming to to Former Kmart in Dickson City. (WNEP, 12/27/2018)

What was one of the busiest shopping spots in Dickson City will soon be repurposed.

Construction crews are working on a part of the former Kmart.

It will include the Allure Salon Group and Planet-3 Trampoline Park.

Other disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State

Aliquippa. (1/12/2019)
Ambridge. (1/17/2019)
Arnold. (1/18/2019)
Braddock. (1/19/2019)
Bradford, (1/20/2019)
Carbondale. (1/21/2019)
Charleroi. (1/22/2019)
Chester. (1/23/2019)
Clairton. (1/24/2019)
Coraopolis. (1/25/2019)
Johnstown. (1/6/2019)
Pittsburgh. (1/13/2019)
Scranton. (1/14/2019)

Other U.S. disappearing cities:
Baltimore, Maryland. (12/31/2018)
Benton Harbor, Michigan. (1/15/2019)
Buffalo, New York, (1/8/2019)
Cairo, Illinois. (1/5/2019)
Cleveland, Ohio (1/2/2019)
Detroit, Michigan. (1/1/2019)
East St. Louis, Illinois. (1/11/2019)
Flint, Michigan. (1/7/2019)
Gary, Indiana. (1/4/2019)
St. Louis, Missouri. (1/2/2019)
Wheeling, West Virginia. (1/16/2019)
Youngstown, Ohio. (1/9/2019)

Friday, January 25, 2019

Only 438 days left until the 2020 Wisconsin presidential primary (the Marquette poll edition)

Respondent are offered 4 choices among 8 possible Democratic presidential primary candidates:

A top choice
An accepetable choice
Would not support
Haven't heard enough

Source: Marquette Law School poll

Here's the announced field of Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination, as of Friday, January 25, 2019.

Other 1/16-20/2019 Marquette poll posts:
OK, folks, raise your hand if you lied on the first response. (1/24/2019)
Marquette Law School poll: On the issues and those who legislate them. (1/24/2019)
Except for impeachment, Trump underwater in Marquette poll questions. (1/24/2019)
The demographics of Wisconsin supporters and detractors of Donald Trump's border wall. (1/25/2019)

Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow (net worth $25,000,000) asks, "Am I out of touch."

You'll find the answer here.

‘Am I out of touch?’: Trump administration struggles to show empathy for workers. (Washington Post, 1/24/2019)

Net worth found here.

Related posts:
The bubble world of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (net worth $860,000,000). (1/25/2019)
OH. PLEASE. JUST. SHUT. UP. (1/25/2019)

OH. PLEASE. JUST. SHUT. UP.

131 words boiled down to 4.

LET THEM EAT CAKE!

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Lara Trump tells federal workers that their missed paychecks are sacrifices for the ‘future of our country. (Washingotn Post, 1/23/2019)

Husband Eric's net worth is guessed to be around $300,000.000.

She knows it's hard. Really, she knows.

Related post:
The bubble world of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (net worth $860,000,000). (1/25/2019)

Marquette poll: The demographics of Wisconsin supporters and detractors of Donald Trump's border wall

Source: Marquette Law School poll (January 16,20, 2019)

How the Bible Belt lost God and found Trump. (Financial Times, 4/17/2017)

Flynt’s answer is that his people are changing. The words of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels, are less central to their thinking and behaviour, he says. Church is less compelling. Marriage is less important. Reading from a severely abridged Bible, their political concerns have narrowed down to abortion and issues involving homosexuality. Their faith, he says, has been put in a president who embodies an unholy trinity of materialism, hedonism and narcissism. Trump’s victory, in this sense, is less an expression of the old-time religion than evidence of a move away from it.

Demographic Shifts and the Future of the Trump Coalition. (Brookings, 4/19/2018)

This 2018 report of the States of Change project, the fourth in an annual series,1 examines an array of future presidential election outcome scenarios—from 2020 through 2036—that could arise as the demography of the nation and its 50 states changes over the next 18 years.

Disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State: Coraopolis, Pennsylvania

Beaver County Times, 1/19/2014

Source: Wikipedia

Coraopolis's population peaked at 11,086 in 1940. Its 2016 estimated population is 5,536 -- a drop of 5,550 (50%).

The Borough of Coraopolis is located in Allegheny County, 16 miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh.

Other disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State

Aliquippa. (1/12/2019)
Ambridge. (1/17/2019)
Arnold. (1/18/2019)
Braddock. (1/19/2019)
Bradford, (1/20/2019)
Carbondale. (1/21/2019)
Charleroi. (1/22/2019)
Chester. (1/23/2019)
Clairton. (1/24/2019)
Johnstown. (1/6/2019)
Pittsburgh. (1/13/2019)
Scranton. (1/14/2019)

Other U.S. disappearing cities:
Baltimore, Maryland. (12/31/2018)
Benton Harbor, Michigan. (1/15/2019)
Buffalo, New York, (1/8/2019)
Cairo, Illinois. (1/5/2019)
Cleveland, Ohio (1/2/2019)
Detroit, Michigan. (1/1/2019)
East St. Louis, Illinois. (1/11/2019)
Flint, Michigan. (1/7/2019)
Gary, Indiana. (1/4/2019)
St. Louis, Missouri. (1/2/2019)
Wheeling, West Virginia. (1/16/2019)
Youngstown, Ohio. (1/9/2019)

GET ME REWRITE: Low-paying, dangerous jobs surge, and Kenosha County is at the heart of the boom

Warehousing jobs surge, and Kenosha County is at the heart of boom. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/24/2019)

Average hourly pay for warehousing isn’t available by county. But Amazon, which has 2,500 full-time jobs in Kenosha, only recently raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour. Over the last three years, average hourly pay figures posted on Indeed.com range from $11.50 for stocking associates and $11.51 for material handlers to $13.77 for warehouse workers.

$11.50 per hour adds up to $23,920 for a full-time (40 hours per week) job.

Nowhere near a living wage.

Source: Living Wage Calculator

Newcastle Systems, 5/9/2017

1. Heavy equipment
2. Slips and trips
3. Falls
4. Fires
5. Heavy materials
6. Harmful substances
7. Ergonomics
8. Moving parts
9. Falling objects
10. Lack of education

Related reading:
Amazon pushes workers to the limit. (Seattle Times, 8/17/2015)
Amazon drivers say they are pushed to the limit as holiday deliveries reach a frenzy. (Los Angeles Times, 12/16-2016)
An Amazon worker speaks: ‘Workers feel extremely exploited’ (Workers World, 3/19/2018)

Trump fanboy Glenn Grothman pimps for Mexico border wall

Headline from Wisconsin Public Radio

"This is the most important issue we're dealing with because we’re dealing with the future of America," he said of border security. "This is not how much you're going to spend over the next year, this is whether we have control of our borders for the next 20 years."

Grothman, who represents Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District which includes Wautoma, Fond du Lac and Kohler, returned from the United States-Mexico border earlier this week.=

He recently spoke with Wisconsin Public Radio’s "Central Time" host Rob Ferrett.

The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. [EMPHASIS ADDED]

Rob Ferrett: You're just back in the nation's capital from your visits to Arizona and the U.S.-Mexico border. Can you tell us what you saw there, what you heard there?

Glenn Grothman: The people we talked to in the Border Patrol at least, definitely feel they need a wall. [empahsis added]

But few others he talked to, I suspect.

CALIFORNIA

The New York Times, 1/23/2019

For nearly a year, President Trump has pointed with pride to a renovation project replacing two miles of border fencing in Calexico. He hailed it as “the start of our Southern Border WALL!” — to the great consternation of many of the town’s residents, who are wary of becoming the public face of a hard-line immigration policy that most here do not agree with. The attention the president’s tweet brought was surreal, in part because the construction replaced an unsightly stretch of steel fencing that was already there.

TEXAS

Texas Observer, 1/24/2019

Despite Trump’s attempt to paint the Texas-Mexico border as a war zone, border counties are safer than the president’s own backyard. And local lawmen don’t believe a wall will do any good.

ARIZONA

Arizona Daily Star, 1/19/2019

“The term ‘the wall’ gets in the way a lot. It has become this semantic game of what is a wall,” said Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier, a Republican. “Let’s talk about border security, which part of it will be physical barriers, part of that will be technology and part of that will be human resources,” he said.

TEXAS

Laredo Morning Times, 1/10/2019

"In certain locations, a wall or a fence or some deterrent makes sense but certainly not one across the great swath of the border in places where, ecologically, the damage would be much greater than a security benefit," he said. "So it's really a political football, I think. And just saying we're going to build this great wall across the whole border makes no sense at all.

Other border wall posts:
Meet eager beaver border wall contractor and major-league polluter Fisher Sand and Gravel. (1/22/2019)
Border wall gofundme campaign running out of steam. (1/19/2019)
Republicans in states far from the Mexico border propose giving money to Trump for his wall. (1/17/2019)
The cost of Donald Trump's border wall has ballooned from $10-$12 million in 2016 to $5 billion today. (1/11/2019)
The continuing Niagara of lies from a president with the emotional development of a 6 year old. (1/11/2019)
Donald Trump's prescient 2004 advice to illegal immigrants. (1/10/2019)
GET ME REWRITE. Trump pleads with his base to help him save his stumbling, chaotic presidency. (1/10/2019)
Scott Walker appeared on Fox and Friends today and, yes, a fence is a physical border. (1/9/2019)
Glenn Grothman starts the 116th Congress where he left off in the 115th: Enhancing his clown bona fides. (1/5/2019)
GET ME REWRITE! The Trump base is already malleable crazy. (12/20/2018)
Dear border wall nuts in Florida, You'd be much better off putting your money towards your own state's infrastructure. (12/20/2018)

The bubble world of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (net worth $860,000,000)

On food banks and homeless shelters: CNBC's Squawk Box asked Ross about that devastating fact on Thursday, and Ross affirmed he was aware it was happening. But "I don't really quite understand why" these federal workers are out on the streets, Ross responded. "Borrowing from a bank or federal credit union" is "federally guaranteed," Ross said, so "there's no real reason why they shouldn't be able to get a loan against" the 30 days of pay they're missing, he finished.

CNBC, 1/9/2019

On getting a loan. “True, the people might have to pay a little bit of interest, but the idea that it’s paycheck or zero is not a really valid idea,” Mr. Ross said. The terms available to the 800,000 unpaid workers can vary greatly:

Some credit unions are offering straightforward interest-free loans that will be repaid automatically when workers receive back pay. But the nation’s four biggest banks — Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo — don’t offer personal loans at all, meaning workers who keep their accounts there would need to look elsewhere.

The Guardian, 5/9/2015

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Except for impeachment, Trump underwater in Marquette poll questions

Source: Marquette Law School poll, January 16-20, 2019

Scott Walker, masochist.

October 19, 2018

January 10, 2019

Marquette Law School poll: On the issues and those who legislate them

Source: Marquette Law School poll

20% of respondents oppose increased funding for special education.

25% reject accepting federal funds for Medicaid.

39% prefer reducing property taxes over increased support for public education.

36% oppose legalization of marijuana.

39% oppose increasing the minimum wage.

42% prefer the state continue ACA lawsuit.

52% want to keep gas tax and fees where they are. (I don't want to hear a peep from them about the condition of Wisconsin's roads.)

Question 1. Do you think Governor Evers is trying to cooperate with Wisconsin legislative leaders or do you think he really isn’t interested in cooperating?

Question 2. Do you think the Wisconsin legislative leaders are trying to cooperate with Governor Evers or do you think they really aren’t interested in cooperating?

Related post:
OK, folks, raise your hand if you lied on the first response. (1/24/2019)

OK, folks, raise your hand if you lied on the first response

Question 1. Some people seem to follow what’s going on in politics most of the time, whether there’s an election going on or not. Others aren’t that interested. Would you say you follow what’s going on in politics most of the time, some of the time, only now and then, or hardly at all?

Questions 2-5. Asks for favorable/unfavorable opinion of _______.

Source: Marquette Law School poll, January 16-20, 2019

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald was first elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1994. He is currently serving his 7th 4-year term.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2004. He is currently serving his 8th 2-year term.

And why shouldn't they be optimistic? They're rich white guys!

From my home-delivered copy

A different headline online.
Corporate Chiefs Look Past Economic Risks and Pin Hopes on Trump for Trade Deal. (The New York Times, 1/23/2019)

America’s corporate leaders are shrugging off a monthslong trade war, a protracted government shutdown and other looming economic threats, projecting that revenue growth in 2019 will be strong largely on the assumption that President Trump will reach a deal with China. They seem to be increasingly isolated in that view.

Another bouncy-bouncy, bouncy-bouncy start on Wall Street today.

Related reading:
Fewer Women Run Big Companies Than Men Named John. (The New York Times, 3/2/2015)
The Number of Black CEOs at Fortune 500 Companies Is at Its Lowest Since 2002. Fortune, 2/27/2018)

The number is
3

2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial and attorney general races: Hey, big spenders!

2018 Governor’s Race Cost Record $93M+. (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, 1/24/2019)

The 20 major and minor party candidates for governor, and the two major party lieutenant governor candidates who won their primaries, spent more than $52.4 million. Former GOP Gov. Scott Walker and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, led candidate spending with nearly $36.2 million. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, spent a combined $10.8 million. (emphasis added)

Wisconsin Attorney General’s Race Cost Record $14M. (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, 1/24/2019)

Former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, who lost, and four groups that supported him spent $7.4 million compared to the nearly $6.6 million spent by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and eight groups that supported him. Constitution Party candidate Terry Larson spent about $5,500. (emphasis added)

What is going on inside Scott Walker's head?

Between his drooling obsessions with socialism and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his brain is operating like a pinball machine.

@ScottWalker

It's not as if American democracy has an unblemished record.

July 20-21, 1877. The Great Railway Strike, Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania National Guard troops kill 40 in labor unrest. Unrest in other cities pushed the death toll above 100.

Illustration credit: Wikipedia

November 11, 1909. The lynching of African American Will James in Cairo, Illinois, with a crowd of more than 10,000 looking on.

Photo source: Wikipedia

And then there's today's bigger picture.

We have this here.

MinnPost, 12/17/2018

We have this here.

The New York Times, 8/15/2018

We have this here -- and it's not just Utah's problem.

Salt Lake Tribune, 2/20/2018

We have this here.

HuffPost, 5/9/2017

And, like the rest of the world, we have this here.

Reuters, 11/28/2018

In other words, Scott, we have much more important issues to address than socialism in Venezuela.

Related reading:
The Difference Between Socialist Venezuela and Socialist Bolivia. (Center for Individualism, 10/4/2018)

Disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State: Clairton, Pennsylvania

Architectural Afterlife, 1/27/2015

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if you fast-forwarded into the distant future only to find yourself standing in the middle of post-apocalypse? Set aside a main road in Clairton, Pennsylvania, this strange world actually exists, sitting quietly on each side of a cracked and forgotten neighborhood street. So what exactly happened on Lincoln Way that made everybody abandon their homes in such a mad dash? What kind of stories sit buried in the remnants left behind by each family previously inhabiting these 16 houses? Was it a matter of fear as urban legends state, or simply the environment? Asking local authorities, or even the locals surrounding town, you can never exactly get a straight answer, while most will avoid answering completely.

Source: Wikipedia

Clairton's population peaked at 19,652 in 1950. Its 2016 estimated population is 6,616 -- a drop of 13,036 (66%).

The City of Clairton, "the city of prayer", is located in Allegheny County, 12 miles south-southeast of Pittsburgh.

Although air quality all over the Mon Valley has improved considerably since Pittsburgh’s industrial era, our region still has some of the worst air quality in the nation. In the last decade, experts and residents around the region have been alarmed by public air monitors showing increasing levels of carbon and sulfur dioxide in our atmosphere. Experts at the Health Department, as well as many environmental groups, say these increased levels are a direct result of the Clairton Coke Works which is high on the list of the top 10 polluters in the region.

Football Team Keeps Mill Town’s Heart Beating. (The New York Times, 12/21/2012)

Apart from providing community pride, football serves as a neon advertisement that, despite its troubles, Clairton remains open for business. In fiscal 2011, the city budget finished in the black for the first time in at least a decade. United States Steel has invested more than $500 million to upgrade the nation’s largest coke plant here along the Monongahela River, 12 miles south of Pittsburgh. A grocery store is planned for next year. Real estate is plentiful and cheap.

Mill Town Prefers U.S. Steel to Clean Air. (The New York Times, 5/27/1979)

In every sense, Clairton is a mill town, totally tied to the rhythms and rumblings of the grimy giant that occupy nearly two miles of frontage on the Monongahela River, at the foot of the 2.5-square-mile area that is called 'Minor'. Trucks thunder in and out at all hours. The whistle blows at a quarter to eight, a quarter to four and a quarter to midnight, and one enters and leaves, always with a lunch pail and a Thermos, past a sign that notes how many days have lapsed since the latest accident that cost lost time.

Other disappearing cities and boroughs of the Keystone State

Aliquippa. (1/12/2019)
Ambridge. (1/17/2019)
Arnold. (1/18/2019)
Braddock. (1/19/2019)
Bradford, (1/20/2019)
Carbondale. (1/21/2019)
Charleroi. (1/22/2019)
Chester. (1/23/2019)
Johnstown. (1/6/2019)
Pittsburgh. (1/13/2019)
Scranton. (1/14/2019)

Other U.S. disappearing cities:
Baltimore, Maryland. (12/31/2018)
Benton Harbor, Michigan. (1/15/2019)
Buffalo, New York, (1/8/2019)
Cairo, Illinois. (1/5/2019)
Cleveland, Ohio (1/2/2019)
Detroit, Michigan. (1/1/2019)
East St. Louis, Illinois. (1/11/2019)
Flint, Michigan. (1/7/2019)
Gary, Indiana. (1/4/2019)
St. Louis, Missouri. (1/2/2019)
Wheeling, West Virginia. (1/16/2019)
Youngstown, Ohio. (1/9/2019)